Bridgeport added to West Nile list, Experiment Station says

Published 10:59 am, Thursday, August 13, 2015

So far this summer, the West Nile Virus has been found in :Bridgeport, Chester, Darien, Guilford, Greenwich, New Haven, Norwalk, Stamford, Stratford, Waterford, New Haven, Stamford, and West Haven

So far this summer, the West Nile Virus has been found in :Bridgeport, Chester, Darien, Guilford, Greenwich, New Haven, Norwalk, Stamford, Stratford, Waterford, New Haven, Stamford, and West Haven

Photo: James Gathany / Associated Press

Bridgeport added to West Nile list, Experiment Station says

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From a press release:

NEW HAVEN — The State Mosquito Management Program has announced that mosquitoes trapped in five new towns tested positive for West Nile virus (WNV). These results represent the first positive mosquitoes identified in Bridgeport, Chester, Greenwich, Norwalk, and Stratford by the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station (CAES) this year. The mosquitoes were trapped from July 30 to August 5, 2015.

During 2015, WNV-positive mosquitoes have now been identified in a total of 11 towns: Bridgeport, Chester, Darien, Guilford, Greenwich, New Haven, Norwalk, Stamford, Stratford, Waterford, and West Haven. Additional WNV detections were reported from New Haven, Stamford, and West Haven during the last reporting period (July 30 to August 5, 2015).

“We are seeing an increase in the number of mosquitoes carrying West Nile virus with expansion into new locations especially in coastal Fairfield and New Haven counties,” said Dr. Philip Armstrong, Medical Entomologist at the CAES. “This is the most critical time of summer when virus activity reaches its peak in the mosquito population."

“August and September are the months when people are at greatest risk of West Nile virus infection,” said Dr. Theodore Andreadis, Director of the Center for Vector Biology & Zoonotic Diseases at the CAES. “With higher temperatures and recent rainfall this past week, we anticipate further build-up of the virus in mosquitoes. We strongly encourage people in affected communities to take simple steps to prevent mosquito bites, such as using insect repellent and covering bare skin, especially during dusk and dawn when biting mosquitoes are most active.”

The CAES maintains a network of 91 mosquito-trapping stations in 72 municipalities throughout the state. Mosquito traps are set Monday - Thursday nights at each site every ten days on a rotating basis. Mosquitoes are grouped (pooled) for testing according to species, collection site, and date. Positive findings are reported to local health departments and on the CAES website.